Rabbit Heart
by Poisoned Puppeteer
Summary: Hinata, caught in an Akatsuki attack, is saved and brought to a mysterious stronghold. Who are these people? Why is she here? Fluffy and comedic.  May contain spoilers, Slight AU. Slow-paced and in depth.
1. Butterflies and Hurricanes

**A/N: Helloooooo~ Just wanted to say a few things before I start here.**

**I do not plan on updating regularly, and although I will probably do my best (sometimes) to do so, just check back when you can and maybe I'll have written more.  
There is a lot of angst and I love to make things dramatic so you can absolutely count on that. If you're not interested in that sort of thing, then please don't even bother.  
I try to avoid fluff but it is occasionally necessary. If you catch me making people out of character PLEASE TELL ME. Nicely. Unless of course I said something about it in here before/after the chapter.  
None of the Akatsuki members are dead… This is mostly because I love them all too much to let them go. c:  
So, this takes place right after Gaara's Ichibi was taken, only Sasuke hasn't left yet and pretty much everyone else is still hanging around. I don't know how that works, but it does.  
I'm pretty sure that's all, but if I think of anything else I'll be sure to let you know. Remember to tell me what you think, give me your ideas, feedback, anything to make this better. I don't really have an actual end in sight here right now. So will it have a happy ending? i do not know.**

**Thanks~**

**PS: I changed the character settings for the story so that the people who are just starting to read this might actually get a surprise when Hina picks her man. YEAH SURPRISES. That's all.**

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'_You've got to be the best_

_And use this chance to be heard_

_Your time is now_

_Change everything you are_

_And everything you were_

_Your number has been called...'_

-Butterflies and Hurricanes, MUSE

The room was dark, and was filled with the dank, reeking stench of someone-or something-who was neither dead nor quite alive. In the center of the room there was a large statue with nine eyes, only one of which was closed. From this statue protruded a set of hands, large and looming in the presence of the room's occupants; ten blurry images standing on an oversized finger each. From the silence broke a commanding voice of no more than 25 years of age, throaty, controlling and profound.

"Friends," it began, using the word as a greeting with heavy sarcasm as if none of the other 9 were his friend's at all, "before we depart..."

There was a collective groan and another voice, this one slightly younger and with an accent of an unknown sort, piped "What is it now? Haven't we had more than enough trouble for the week? Sasori almost kicked it, you know! And my arm! Kakuzu had to stitch it back on! When have we ever done enough to satisfy your crazy demands, yeah?"

"Quiet!" the first voice barked in that way of letting others know exactly who's boss. "You'll do what you're told, Deidara."

Deidara slipped back into a silent reverie, in what seemed to be a vain attempt to remain calm and docile. "Now then," the first voice continued, "our objective in this mission is quite simple. Even the thickest of you shouldn't have much of a problem with it."

"What exactly are you insinuating, yeah?"

"Deidara, shut the fuck up. God, annoying pansy-ass little-" The new voice was oily slick and seductive, but was colored thickly with malice and mischief.

"Thank you, Hidan," the first voice said warily.

"Whoever said I was doing it to please you? Shit, get off your high horse and have the balls to tell him it yourself."

"For christ's sake, be quiet, will you all? We'll never get out of here if you don't shut your traps pretty damned soon." This time it was an older being who spoke, throat scratchy with age and turned hollow through the years.

"ALL RIGHT THEN," the first voice stated firmly, "here is our objective. Listen carefully, because I will not repeat myself, got that?" There was a collective murmur of agreement, and the voice continued "We are to infiltrate Konoha to retrieve the First's forbidden jutsu. Does anyone object to this? Again, it is fairly simple..."

"I think it's pretty damned-"

"Yeah, well, it's a good thing that I don't care about what you think, Hidan. So, we attack tomorrow. I'll alert you when; be in the general vicinity. It'll make things easier. Head on over to the land of fire as soon as we've finished up here."

"Will we all be going?" This voice was female, soft-spoken but dangerous, sounding of past heartbreaks and sufferings.

"Yes," the first voice stated matter-of-factually. "This could be extremely dangerous. Itachi and Kisame will be my backup when I go in to get the scroll. If they send in reinforcements, everyone else should be able to distract them pretty well. Got that? Konan, you are to keep me up to speed on what's going on outside of the village and scout; we don't want them getting allies in there with us. Is this all understood?"

Various forms of agreement were mumbled throughout the room, most of which sounded grumpy and tired.

"If you all think you're set," the commanding voice stated irritably, "then you are all dismissed. Get as much rest as you can."

Eight of the shadows standing on the statue disappeared into the air.

"Pain?"

"...What is it, Konan."

"Is this mission so important that we have to move out tomorrow? We really should give them a break. The Jinchuuriki and Hatake really took it out of Deidara. And that Konoichi... Well, I don't really think I need to tell you about what she did to Sasori. I think that Deidara must have made that pretty clear to you by now..."

Pain just laughed. "What she DID to him, indeed. He's infatuated with her. They wouldn't have survived if he wasn't. Strange how that works, isn't it? And yet..." he sighed and faced down at his open palms, eyes unseeing in the pitch blackness of the space. "The fact that we almost did not acquire Shukaku is the exact reason that I think this mission is such a priority. We need to keep the five lands of power in check. We need to take some of their authority for our own. That is why this mission is a priority." He paused for a moment, and looked towards where he knew his companion must be. "Not that cracking the whip a little ever hurt them. They're losing sight of our objective."

Konan said nothing to him in return, instead made a sign with her hand and faded from the room. Her silent anger was apparent. Sighing and mouthing a few curse-words in frustration along with a drabble of 'how women always take everything so seriously' and 'hell hath no fury...' Then he followed her example and disappeared

The room, spacious and now lacking in tenants was completely and utterly silent, save for the soft echoes of cave water pattering from the ceiling.

The Hyuuga's training grounds were placed deep in the woods outside of Konoha Village for privacy purposes. Away from distractions, 'and any sort of real help' thought Hinata bitterly, the grounds were said to improve concentration and increase training effectiveness considerably.

It was also possible to her that she had only been brought here so that she might be left in the middle of nowhere once Neji had finished kicking the crap out of her. He attacked her ruthlessly, his jutsu penetrating deep into her and stopping the flow of her chakra, destroying her with every hit. Sweat flew off of her in sprays as she was thrown backwards with a particularly rough punch in her gut, and Hinata cried out as she hit the rough ground. Neji breathed heavily, but did not say anything to her. Hinata stayed on the ground, relatively safe for the time being, and panted helplessly. She couldn't believe this. Neji looked as if he'd just been out for a leisurely stroll, with little to no evidence he'd been training at all.

"Pathetic," he hissed, and glared down at her. "You're the damned heiress for christ's sake! Why don't you start acting like it? Why are you so useless?" He let out a furious exclamation of annoyance and kicked her once, then stormed off. Hinata just lay on the ground and watched him retreat, completely inanimate She certainly wished to tell Neji that she was TRYING to be a good little princess but it was pretty difficult when he wouldn't even give her a chance. She wasn't sparring with him; he was practicing on a live punching bag. She felt like kicking something, but remained still and began to cry. What good did any of this do, anyways? Nobody would ever want to marry someone like her anyways, so why was she the heiress? Hanabi was much more talented and outgoing and all in all simply better than Hinata herself was; so the 'good' in being Neji's target practice seemed pretty nonexistent.

Hinata sat up and stared around. She was completely alone now, with just the dimming pink light filtering through the trees to keep her company. Sighing, she began to get up, but stopped when she found that she could not-Neji had left her semi-paralyzed and had not bothered to check whether or not she really was all right. Well, that was fine and dandy. She could just wait here until it wore off, really. It was peaceful, being in the woods, alone, at sunset. Hinata carefully lowered herself back onto the ground and stared up at the sky, and began to daydream. Closing her eyes, she imagined being free of her clan and running off with...

"Oh!" She sat up straight, remembering. She had promised to meet Sasuke outside of the village after practice. He would be worried if Neji came back and she did not. What would he do? Would he confront Neji? Hinata tried to stand up again and fell right back down. She couldn't bear the thought of Neji using his silly 'rotation' jutsu on Sasuke just because he'd been a little prying.

"Sasuke," she grumbled, stretching on the ground and frowning irritably, "whatever am I supposed to do now?" Having doomed herself to hours of slow healing, Hinata closed her eyes once more, and tried to keep herself from becoming too upset. She'd just tell Sasuke what had happened tomorrow, that's all.

"Hinata?"

Her eyes flew open and she saw above her a pair of dark obsidian eyes, staring intently at her. "Oh! S-Sasuke-kun!" she tried to stumble to her feet, and, of course, failed. "A-ano...W-what are you doing here, Sasuke-kun?" He frowned at her as if she were a little off her rocker. "I came to see what you were doing. Neji said that you stayed behind. I guess he was just saying that, though..." Hinata shook her head fervently. "I think it was an accident. I'm fine, I just-" "Can't walk." "...y-yes."

He rolled his eyes at her and held out his hand to her. "Here." She took it and, with a little bit of trouble, succeeded in standing up properly while leaning against her friend. "I'll help you walk back, okay?" "O-okay...Thank you, Sasuke-kun." He nodded coolly, as if to say 'no problem.'

This was the problem she had with Sasuke. She appreciated his lack of pointless chatter and calm demeanor, but he was cold. Almost to the point where she never would have guessed he liked her if he hadn't said it to her face. Not only this, though, he also hid his feelings, and only ever thought about one thing...

Hinata sighed. Revenge was Sasuke's best friend. He lived for it. He was consumed by the need to fulfill his oath, that he would kill his brother and restore his clan. And, sometimes, this frightened her. It was almost as if Sasuke were being controlled by something ominous rather than simply being himself. The village walls were just over 200 feet away now, and Hinata's feet were really beginning to get sore. Suddenly, Sasuke broke the silence. "I was thinking we could go get ramen," he said casually peering at her from the corner of his eye. She giggled a little. "O-oh? I am a little hungry..." A small smile slipped through his iron-clad defenses and he said "Well...It's settled then. I'll pay, of course..." "Sasuke-kun, you don't have to-"

They both stopped in their tracks. Smoke was rising from the village now, and they could hear shouts and screams from within its boundaries. "What...?" Sasuke exclaimed angrily, almost running towards the havoc upon sight and then remembering he was supporting Hinata. Who was impaired. And certainly not in any condition to fight. "Hinata, I-"

Sasuke was interrupted by an exploding note aimed right at them from, seemingly, out of nowhere. "Sasuke-!" In the confusion before the explosion, she felt herself fall to the ground and crumple. She was then flung a good thirty feet from where she had been before, and she could feel the blood slowly covering herself. Breathing became difficult, but, in her panic, she found she could force herself to her feet. "SASUKE!" she shrieked into the smoke, wondering what had happened to him.

"SASUKE-!"

Tears stung her eyes as she wailed his name over an over, unable to see in the destruction that was escaping her home's walls.

"Hinata! Hinata, run! Get out of here!" His voice came to her from a fair distance, over the clash of metal and the sound of crumbling buildings. Hinata didn't disobey. As adrenaline and panic settled into her system, she found her legs moving of their own accord, somewhere, anywhere, away from there. She couldn't believe she was simply abandoning the village she was meant to protect, but here she was. And anyways, without most of her chakra and a good deal of injury already dealt to her, what good would she be?

Hinata ran, and ran, until she began to feel dizzy from blood loss. She knew her face must be a mess; she had been on the ground right in front of an exploding tag, after all. Neji had done a good deal of damage to her as well, and she now knew that she really would be spending the night passed out in the woods. Hinata picked an especially large tree and curled up at it's base, trying to find some sort of security; she knew that, when she returned home, it would be in the process of being rebuilt. She let a few tears escape, thought, rather sadly, about how hungry she was, then drifted off...

Hinata dreamed uneasily that night. She dreamed of Sasuke, bloodied and mangled, and of exploding notes raining from the sky destroying all that she loved. She also dreamed of steaming hot ramen with miso, and soft, fresh rice cakes like her mother used to make for her when she was young...

She dreamed of white butterflies, which fluttered about her like a cyclone, and then turned into a beautiful woman with strange colored hair. The woman had asked Hinata if she were all right, and Hinata began to cry and tell the woman of the terrible ordeal she'd just gone through. She told the woman she didn't want to die yet. She wanted to prove to everyone that she wasn't worthless. She couldn't die yet. '_If you can,'_ Hinata had sobbed to the lovely woman, who had stared stoney-faced at Hinata and did not say a word, '_please help me... Take me somewhere safe...please...I can't die yet...I can't..._' and then her dream had turned black, with images of Neji, her father, and Hanabi looking down at her in disappointment, arms crossed and faces set. No matter how much she plead, they simply looked, then, when it became apparent that she was not worthy of even that, they turned their backs on her. It was then that Hinata finally pitched a fit. She screamed as loud as she could, pounded the ground with her feet and arms, begging for some form of acceptance from her family. When they did not turn, she pulled at their clothes and punched them, beat them in her fury, and they still did not turn. Exhausted, she finally fell to her knees and accepted her fate.

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END OF CHAPTER ONE

Butterflies and Hurricanes


	2. Null And Void

**A/N: Okay, so yeahhhh. Hello again. I'm updating so quickly because I actually already have four chapters written and I'm bored. I'm not really sure what to think of this so far so I'd be really grateful if you'd give me some kind of feedback here, please and thank you.**

**Oh, and yes, I am aware of the fact that, in this chapter, Pain and Konan are pretty OoC. I'm fairly certain they'll remain that way. otherwise they wouldn't talk and it'd be no fun. Or they'd be completely serious all the time. So. I tried though.  
WELL ANYWAYS  
Don't forget to review after you read, and that will help me improve. I don't appreciate flamers. , and this chapter is mostly Pain and Konan. Sorry about that.**

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_'Tell me with affection in your voice_

_that you never really had a choice_

_place on me the burden of the past_

_offer me the future take it back'_

_Null and Void - TATU_

"Konan..." Pain's voice was strained and upset, and it was apparent that he was using a great deal of self-control to make sure that he did not betray the fact that he was not at all pleased with her. "Konan, please listen to me. You can't just bring random Konoichi to the hideout. Sorry. That just doesn't happen. We have to kill her now. You do realize that, don't you? She'll run off as soon as she's healthy again and she'll tell her village 'HEY, GUESS WHAT? I KNOW WHERE THE AKATSUKI LIVE.' Do you really want that to happen? Throw her out before she wakes up, and do it quickly."

Konan whirled around to look at the violently-orange haired man trying to reason with her. Her eyes, usually plain and without emotion, were fiery with anger. Pain was really beginning to wonder why it was he loved this silly girl so much-especially when she didn't return his affection. "Pain," she began, but he cut her off quickly, sensing the beginning of a lecture. "Oh, please, don't start with me," he groaned, waving his hand in front of him to show his annoyance. "I have authority over you, in case you've forgotten, Konan-chaaaaan. I do not wish to be lectured in the small hours of the morning when I would really just like to be sleeping. You know. In a bed? You don't seem to do it much." She set her eyes on him again, and he suddenly realized what he said. "For _Kami_'s sake, you know that's not what I meant. I don't do sexual innuendos. That's Hidan's job." She just rolled her eyes at him and turned back to the bed they were both standing in front of. On it was a young girl with ridiculously long raven-blue hair and china-doll skin. She was covered in burns and cuts of all sizes, all seeming to be close range injuries, and her clothes were almost falling apart where they'd been slashed and scorched. What had once been a violet and white jacket was now a brown and gray mass of torn cloth.

"Why did you do it?" Pain asked softly, gazing upon the girl with a worried expression on his face, which was covered in various piercings. Konan shrugged. "She was so sad...She kept saying that she couldn't die yet... She's so young, Pain... she was caught up in the Konoha attack, you see? It's our fault this happened to her. I needed to help her."

"Are you sure that's why? Because if that were the case we'd be treating every victim you ever faced. This isn't you just longing for another human being who produces estrogen, is it? Because I really can do something about Hidan tossing your tam-"

"Pain, shut up. _Kami_, you just don't stop, do you? Since when is a guy comfortable talking about feminine sanitary products?"

"...I don't know. Either you get her out now, we kill her, or she's stuck here with us as a wanted criminal for the rest of her life. Pick one. You were so willing to help her."

Konan placed her fingers on her temples and rubbed circles in them, trying to remain calm. "I really hate you sometimes, you know that? Why am I even still here?" Pain grimaced. "You know damn well why. Now, pick one, because she's gonna wake up any sec-"

Just then, the girl on the bed emitted a soft groan. She began to fidget.

"Konan, I am going to kill you. How does that sound?" "You wouldn't. She doesn't look as if she could harm a fly." "Do you not SEE the Konoha symbol on her headband? She's a NINJA, Konan, please process that and do something about her!" He paused and added as an afterthought, "Right now!"

The girl opened her eyes and looked about the room from beneath thick eyelashes, wandering over to Pain then Konan.

"Wh...Where am I? Who...?" She continued to look at Konan. "You...You saved me...? I-I.. thought you were a dream..." Konan smiled softly. "I wouldn't say I saved you. I'm sorry. I healed you, yes, but I wouldn't say I saved you." Pain scrutinized the girl with his ringed eyes, circling the bed as he did so. The girl shrunk under his gaze, fright visible as she curled into a ball and watched him nervously.

"I'd say she's a Hyuuga. Could be useful. I still say we kill her. It's easier than anything else. Kakuzu'd have a fit if he knew we had one more person to pay for around here. Konan? This is rediculous. I'm sorry, but you can't just bring people to headquarters, it's kind of against being a 'secret', you know?" Konan punched him, straight up into his gut. Pain felt the wind leave his lungs and doubled over in horror, scurrying to the other side of the room. "KONAN THAT WAS EXTREMELY UNCALLED FOR," he barked as soon as he could breathe again.

"Wh-why would you kill me? Why bring me here just to kill me? Wh-what-"

Konan shook her head. "We're not going to kill you. Someone's just having a fit cause he's not getting his way. I'm sorry, but I couldn't let you just die... I brought you here, but now you cannot leave. I apologize profusely..." she bent her head to the girl on the bed, who looked shocked and horrified and confused and a million other emotions all at once.

"Never leave...? Ever? I can't see my family or my friends ever again?"

"I'm afraid not."

The girl stared, wide-eyed at the floor, liquid gathering in her moonlit orbs. "W-why?"

"That is none of your business. Konan, I am not kidding-"

Konan lifted her fist threateningly. "If she's staying here she may as well know, don't you think?"

Pain rolled his eyes in frustrated exhasperation. "We don't even know who she is!" The odd pair looked at the girl questioningly, and she nervously replied "M-my name is Hinata. I am a Hyuuga."

"See? Nothing to worried about."

"NOTHING TO WORRIED ABOUT? My dear woman," he began, his voice dripping with sarcasm and fake laughter, "the Hyuugas are second only to the Uchihas in Konoha. You are being unreasonable. She will certainly cause us problems if we do not dispose of her."

"She could be useful," Konan said bitterly, becoming irritated with Pain. "You're just mad that I have someone other than you to spend my time with now."

"What-? Well... Yes. But I have perfectly good reason other than that," he said angrily. "This is such a stupid thing to be arguing about! it's clear what we have to do, Konan. Move aside." Pain stepped foreward, his arm outstretched towards Hinata, who shrank once more. "Please, I-" she began, but Konan stood in front of her.

"Pain." Her voice was soft and calming, but it was clear this was a sham. Pain, on the other hand, seemed to be falling for it. "I could have let you die, you know."

"Oh for the love of-" He threw his arms up in exhasperation. "You run a hard bargain, girl. Shit. Fine, she can stay. You have to take care of her, though. And, you have to protect her. I won't do anything if I see any of the boys attcking her. Then figure out where she's going to sleep. You got that?" Konan nodded. Pain gave her one long look, then exited quickly with the air of someone who wanted to make his anger apparent. Konan giggled. "He is such a brat." She turned to Hinata, who was trembling and looking about ready to feint. "Oh, are you all right? I promise I'll make sure none of the others will hurt you, okay? As for a place to stay, well, I guess you'd have to stay in my room."

"Please tell me wh-where I am..." Hinata whimpered, looking fearfully at Konan.

"Haven't I told you yet?"

"N-No, you haven't!" Hinata wailed, frustration and anxiety escaping as she hit the edges of the bed angrily.

"Oh. I don't actually know if it is a good idea," Konan began, but stopped as soon as she the look on Hinata's face. "But I guess you do need to know. Hinata..." Konan lifted a large black cloak from the back of a nearby chair and looked at it warily. "This is our uniform. I'm sure that you must have seen it before, or at least heard of it. " Konan handed the coat to Hinata, who unfolded it. With one look, she let out a terrified gasp and threw it at Konan.

"Y-you-? How? Why? W-why has this happened to me?" She covered her face with both hands and rocked slightly, sobbing into her palms.

Konan sighed. "Yes, we're akatsuki. It's really not as big a deal as you're making it out to be, you know. It's not like I'm going to 'corrupt you' or whatever the heck you're thinking. All of our members are really quite stable people." She bent down slightly and tried to peer at Hinata's face. "Come on, stop crying, please. What was so important to you that you're making this much of a fuss?"

"O-oh...I don't know, really," Hinata sniffed, rubbing at her eyes. "I was actually thinking yesterday...But...Everyone..."

"Are you scared? Is that why?"

"Y-yes, I s-suppose," Hinata replied, leaning back as Konan scrutinized her closely, then sighed. They sat in silence for what seemed like ages, then Konan finally stated, matter-of-factly, "Well, come on. We can't stay here all night. Let's get you some fresh clothes and a bed, okay?" Hinata couldn't reply, just nod. What on earth had she gotten herself into? Hinata got up and followed the Akatsuki woman out of the room and into a dark hallway. Hinata's thoughts were racing. 'What about Sasuke? And Hanabi? Will they think I've died in the attack? All of my friends... Will they forget about me? Will I have a proper funeral? Will my family even miss me?' She felt tears burn at her eyes, but held them back, not wanting to show her weakness.

"Try to walk lightly," Konan said in an utter whisper, "chances are, everyone's sleeping. And they do not like to be wakened in the middle of the night." Hinata nodded, but she know that Konan hadn't seen. The wood flooring slipped along under her feet, and with every squeak of the boards Hinata's heartbeat quickened. Surely they could hear her heart; it felt as if it could burst out of her chest any second. She skittered closer to Konan in the darkness, lifting her fists under her neck in a self-conscious gesture. Finally, Konan stopped and muttered, "Here we are..." and opened a door. Hinata stepped in after her, and Konan followed, turning on the lights. It was a plain sight; The walls were all wood paneling, and the floor was covered in tatami mats. there was a low twin-sized bed in the furthest corner, and no windows. All of this was all right, Hinata decided, but what she really liked was all the decorations; hundreds of paper flowers, butterflies, animals, everything; all in different shapes and sizes and colors. It would seem that konan was an origami master. "Did you make all of these?" Hinata asked breathlessly, prodding a dragonfly that was hanging from the ceiling on a string. It swung from side to side gracefully, the movement becoming slower and slower with each arc.

"Yes, I did," Konan said, smiling as she looked up from the dresser she'd been digging in. "I've always loved origami, ever since I was a child."

"They're beautiful," Hinata said as she inspected a small paper box filled with little stars.

"Well, I certainly do my best," Konan replied, handing Hinata a stack of folded clothes. "You can sleep there" she pointed at the bed in the corner, "And I'll leave you be. Try to get some sleep, okay? I'll introduce you to everyone tomorrow." She gave Hinata a long, soft look, then said, "I'm sorry. I really am. I've never tried to help anyone from an attack before. You were so far away from the village, I didn't know what else to do..."

Hinata turned her head and didn't reply. Konan sighed, "Well, good night" and exited. She couldn't believe how ungrateful the girl was being. After all she really could have been left there to die. 'But,' Konan thought irritably, once more wandering the dark hallways of the hideout, 'you didn't have to bring her here. That really was dumb. Pain was right.' On a sudden whim, she approached the Akatsuki Leader's room and knocked. When she got a response ("Mmmmfffffff go 'way m' tryin' to sleep here...unghhhhhh-"), Konan entered. Pain just grumbled around at her and pulled the covers over his head. "What do you want, Konan?"

Konan approached his bed (which was at least three times the size of her own) and perched on the very edge of it. "I thought I'd apologize to you. You were right, and I was silly to bring her here. I couldn't think of what else to do, though." She heard him groan sleepily.

"Konan, did you really come in here just to say that? _Kami_, it could have waited until morning, don't you think?" He tried to find her face in the darkness, and mumbled sadly "I can't see you." She rolled her eyes. "Do you need to?" "I would like to. Where's she sleeping?" Konan frowned at the abrupt subject change. "My bed. Why?" "Where are YOU sleeping?"

And now Konan saw what he was getting at. "I don't know, yet." "My room's plenty big. You're free to stay in here." "You stay on that side, then." She could just imagine his face falling at this. "And I need to change. So don't look." "S'not like I haven't seen you before." "Yeah, not in about fifteen years, though." "Huh." He closed his eyes and rolled over to the far side of the bed. "My dear Konan, how you do scorn me." "I do not SCORN you. We're friends." "As much as we can be, anyways." "Well... yes." "Huh." He felt the opposite side of his bed depress slightly and the covers rustle as she climbed in. "I'll know if you try to do anything funny," she said warningly. "I sleep with one eye open." "You do not." "Yeah I do. How would you know, anyways?" He snorted. "Konan, can you even count how many years we've known each other?" "I could if I tried. Why?" "You don't sleep with one eye open." "Well, I'll still know." "All right, then." "Goodnight, Pain." "Goodnight, Konan." They both quieted. Pain waited until her breathing had turned quiet and turned on his bedside lamp. Moving carefully so as not to wake her, Pain scooted close to Konan until he was right at her side. 'She looks so peaceful, he thought affectionately, and laid one hand upon her cheek. She sighed gently and moved closer to him. He felt himself grow warm with embarassment and pleasure. Pain waited a few more minutes, then crawled back to his own side of the bed, heart aching, and shut off his light to go to sleep.

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END OF CHAPTER TWO

Null and Void


	3. Canvas

**A/N: I really hope that you liked that last chapter. I myself am rather proud of it. 3**  
**PainKonan is probably one of my favorite pairings. I can't imagine either being with anyone else, so, you know. _**  
**Pain will hopefully be more like himself now, being around the other akatsuki members.**  
**Oh! And, in case you didn't catch it in the first chapter,**  
**Deidara says "yeah" instead of "Un". I think it gives him a little more personality than "un". Which gets really annoying. At least, it does when you're reading something. So he says 'yeah'.**  
**And Tobi is indeed a crack character. Just for fun. c:**  
**So. Yeah. review please, and tell me what you think, as always.**

* * *

_'The more you look_

_the less you see_

_so close your eyes_

_and start to breath_

_Oh, suit yourself_

_this wasn't easy...'_

_Canvas IMOGEN HEAP_

Hinata did not sleep well that night, although she knew that she really should. Who knew what could be lurking around the corners of the Akatsuki's hideout during the daytime? She knew that she had to be on her highest awareness, and so having enough sleep would really help. However, thoughts of all her friends back in Konoha wondering where she was and what had happened to her kept her awake for most of the night. She could imagine scenarios of frantic searches, panicked nurses from her compound, and her father, standing in the middle of it all, face stern, eyes giving no emotion. That was really what had upset her the most. What was her family doing without her? Did Hanabi miss her? Neji? 'No,' she thought bitterly, closing her eyes and pulling the covers over her head, 'he's probably happy that I'm gone. He's probably relieved that Hanabi's the new heiress.' Then Hinata began to cry angrily, for she knew that she really would never see any of them ever again. Not unless that man Pain had a sudden change of heart, and that didn't seem likely. Troubled and feeling slightly sick about what was to come in her future, Hinata drifted into a restless and uneasy slumber.

The next day, Hinata woke and found herself in a room that was completely and utterly dark, save for a small sliver of light coming from the floor on one side of the room. She rolled out of the bed, hit her head on a table she hadn't known was there and cried out a little. 'Where am I...?" She racked her brains for some clue as to what was going on. Except for a strange nightmare she'd had in which an Akatsuki Konoichi had kidnapped her, she found none. She crawled along the floor towards the sliver of light-which she now knew to be a door-and pressed her ear to the wall. She could hear voices.  
"...upid idea, I think. We barely succeeded in getting the damned thing." "Ahhh, key word there, Sasori-dono, barely. But we did, yeah." "Still. I thought it was rather unreasonable of Pain-sama to make us do another mission just after getting Suna's tailed beast." "Hahaha, you're making that up. You didn't mind it at all. You saw that girl Sakura again, didn't you? Yeah?" There was a pause, in which Hinata was sure that Sasori, the first voice, was trying to control his temper. "I am not infatuated with that silly girl. Stop insinuating so, Deidara." "You are a liar and you know it." "I refuse to continue this conversation" "HAHAHA! That's just because you know you'll give yourself away, yeah. I can see right through you, Sasori-dono." "I told you to shut up...!" There was a rattling noise and a gasp. Then, after a while, Deidara's voice squawked "Fine, fine I'll leave you alone, just stop that, yeah?" Then there was more of the rattling noise, then silence.

Hinata could feel her heart pounding against her ribs, heard it rumbling in her skull. 'No...' she thought, panicked, clutching at her chest, 'that had to have been a dream... I can't really be here, can I? Am I still dreaming?' She leaned her head against the wall, trying to breathe normally. However, at that exact moment, the door, which was but an inch away from her face, swung open. Hinata toppled over in surprise and yelped. Looking up, she saw a shock of blue and soft gray "What are you doing?" Konan asked coolly, turning the light on and stepping in. Hinata just about died with fright. "D-did that... did that really happen, t-then?" Konan shut the door and walked over to her dresser. She was wearing a medium-gray tank top and swishy black pajama pants that only went up to her calves. "You mean last night? I'm afraid so... I'm sorry, but there really is nothing I can do." She opened a drawer and pulled out a black shirt that had a deep neckline covered with fishnet and more black capris. "Here," she said, handing them to Hinata. "Get dressed." Hinata took them and said, "I'm sorry that I took your bed... And that I'm taking your clothes." Konan laughed, but it didn't truly sound happy. "It's fine, I assure you. I have an excessive amount of clothing. Go on and get dressed. I won't look."  
Hinata pulled off her shirt and pulled on the one she'd been given, then asked "Konan? What should I do with these other clothes?" "The pajamas?" "Yes?" "Keep them. You'll need them again tonight, won't you?" Hinata nodded, and folded them up. She then walked over to the bed and placed them upon it then turned back to Konan, who had also changed. Konan gave Hinata an uneasy smile. "Are you ready?" "R-ready?" "To meet everyone. You can't stay in here forever, you know." Hinata thought that she could if she really wanted, but nodded shakily and found herself walking forward, towards Konan, who opened the door and shut off the light.

The hallways were lit now, with what Hinata was fairly sure was sunlight. She was lead along until they found themselves at a turn. "You wait here for a second. I'll just explain to them first so that they don't freak out, okay?" Hinata nodded mechanically. Konan disappeared around the bend, and was greeted by a chorus of male voices. Hinata was horrified by the sheer number she heard- there had to be five or six of them at least. "Hi, Konan-chan." "KONAN-SENPAIIIIIIIII!" "Morning..." "Hello, hello..." Konan sounded annoyed. Hinata was fairly certain she was going to pass out pretty soon. She was hyperventilating so much that it was a wonder nobody came looking for her. "Guys, I have something to tell you," Konan called above the loud chatter of all the male members of akatsuki along with what sounded like a television. "Huh? Don't tell me it's another mission..." "No, it's good news. I hope. I think it is. Pain doesn't." "Nobody cares about Pain. He's been a complete ass lately." "Just get on with it!" "Okay, okay! God..."

Hinata whirled around, having heard the creak of a floorboard. Behind her stood a tall, muscular man with silver hair and violet eyes. He wore nothing but a pair of black skinny jeans. For a moment, nothing happened. He glared at her as she looked on in horror, then lunged and grabbed her. She cried out in terror and surprise. "Who the fuck are you?" he yelled, his face inches from her own and filled with rage. Hinata felt she was about to die from embarrassment and fright. "I...I-I..." she wanted to speak, but found that she could not. He had her by the throat and by her hair, gripping her in an iron vice. She grabbed at her neck, desperately trying to pull him away. He laughed and pushed her to the wall. "We don't allow intruders in here, Sweetie," he said menacingly, tugging upwards on her hair. She yelped again. "At least, we normally don't... But I could make an exception for you..." he looked down at her body, her legs hanging uselessly a few inches from the floor. Just then, another man with blonde hair up in a high ponytail ran around the corner. "Hidan! What the-! Who-?" he was soon followed by what looked like six others, all different as Hinata was sure was possible. Konan pushed through them. "Hidan! Stop it, you'll kill her!" The man glared down at Akatsuki's only female member, then released Hinata, who coughed and gasped for air in a heap on the floor. "So we're relaxing our security, are we? We're just going to let this bitch run around our hideout? I don't think so, Ko-" "Shut up, Hidan. You don't know what you're talking about." Konan knelt in front of Hinata, her face filled with anxiety. "Hinata, are you all right?" Hinata began to cry. "I don't want to be here! P-Please...let me go home...!" Konan gave her a pitiful look, then turned back to the males.

"You all!" She barked angrily, looking each of them in the eye. "You do not touch this girl. Got it?" Konan stood back up and held her hand out to Hinata, who sniffled and took it, then stood up. They were all staring at her. "Who...?" asked the blonde man, looking utterly baffled. "This is Hinata," said Konan, wrapping an arm around the sniffling girl in an attempt to make her feel better, "and she's my guest. That's all, okay?" The man shrugged, and they all filed back into the room they'd been in before. Konan pulled Hinata along with her protectively. The silver-haired man trudged along behind them. Hinata was sure that he was glaring holes in her skull. At the end of the hallway was what looked like a living room, equipped with a long couch that ran along the far wall and a TV that looked pretty old but was still functioning. The couch was near full with men, all pushing and prodding each other recklessly in the way that men do. One of them looked up at Konan and Hinata and said "Hello, Hinata-san! Hello, Konan-senpai!" He wore an orange mask with one eye hole, from which swirled a shape a little like that of a tornado only not quite. "Hello, Tobi," Konan said, smiling. "Hinata-san! Do you want to sit with Tobi?" Tobi patted the empty seat on the couch next to him. Hinata glanced nervously at Konan, who shrugged and nodded.  
"S-sure..." Hinata walked forward, feeling slightly numb, and sat on the gray couch. Immediately the blonde man got up from Tobi's other side and sat next to her as well. "H-hello," Hinata greeted him nervously.  
"I'm Deidara, yeah," he said, grinning at her and holding out his hand. She took it and shook, but quickly withdrew her hand upon feeling an unpleasant wetness. He let out a booming laugh. "Sorry. They like you." He once more held out his hand to her, palm outwards, and Hinata saw that he had...but was it really?  
"I...Is that a mouth?" She asked, leaning slightly away. He burst out laughing again. "Yes, it is. Is it that much of a shock, yeah?" "Well...I've never seen a-anyone with an extra m-mouth before. Especially n-not on their hand." He grinned. "It's on both hands. They're my kekkei genkai. Yeah." ((A/N: This is totally unfounded in reality. I've always just kind of assumed that they were a kekkei genkai of his.))  
"O-oh...I see..." In actuality, Hinata did not see. She was slightly disturbed by this strange man. She was slightly disturbed by all these strange people. None of them even really seemed dangerous or violent...save for the silver-haired man, Hidan.  
"So, yeah, Hinata-san," Deidara said, leaning towards her with interest, "What are you doing here, anyways?" Hinata shook her head. "I-I don't exactly understand the reason. All I really g-get is that Konan was t-trying to help me."  
Deidara looked at her skeptically. "So she brought you to a house full of criminals? Yeah." Hinata shrugged. Tobi looked over at Deidara, who looked back at him with a lack of interest. "Deidara-senpai," he whispered across Hinata, who was more than a little confused, "I'm hungry." Deidara's eye twitched, and he turned back to Hinata, ignoring the masked boy on her other side. "Hinata, you can ignore him. He's crazy." Tobi just about had a fit. "TOBI IS NOT CRAZY! TOBI IS A GOOD BOY!" Hinata jumped a little as he yelled, not wishing to hear such loud noises so early in the morning. Deidara ignored him again. "I do my best. Sometimes, though, you just have to lay the smack down and-" he reached over her and whacked Tobi on the top of his head "-knock a little sense into his thick skull, yeah." Tobi began to wail very loudly, something about "-!" Hinata placed both hands over her ears and grimaced, trying to escape the noise as best she could. It was difficult, though, when the black haired boy next to her-who had the attention span of a five-year-old-was clinging to her arm and complaining about Deidara. "Hinata-saaaaan," he sniffled, shaking her roughly to get her attention, "Hinata-san, make him say sorry to Tobi." Hinata, her face a mask of complete agony, turned to Deidara and simply looked at him. He looked back, surprised. They stared at one another. Then, finally, he said, very loudly and with much irritation, "FINE. TOBI, I AM VERY SINCERELY NOT QUITE MAYBE I AM BUT PROBABLY NOT SORRY."  
Tobi didn't realize that his superior's so-called apology cancelled itself out. Satisfied, he then 'persuaded' (after much crying and tugging on her) Hinata sway side-to-side with him for the next ten minutes.

At that very moment, a slim male with long, raven-black hair tied into a ponytail entered the room. He wore all black-a long-sleeved shirt and full-length pants. No socks were on his feet, but he had a silver necklace with multiple pendants around his neck. His eyes were as black as night, and they scanned the room with silent amusement, finally stopping on Hinata. His eyebrows creased deeply and he simply stood there, staring at her. Hinata was vaguely aware of the fact that Tobi and Deidara were arguing beside her.  
"...likes Tobi much better than Deidara-senpai. Right, Hinata-san?" Hinata nodded in a dreamlike way, not really understanding what Tobi was asking her (she was mostly relieved that he had stopped screaming). "Tobi, she's not even listening to you, you idiot. Hinata?" Deidara looked up and saw the man standing there in the middle of the room, frowning. "Oh," Deidara said glumly, as if the sight of the man was enough to make him punch something (most likely Tobi). "Good morning, Itachi-san." Hinata felt herself stagger at the name. Itachi? Uchiha? Sasuke's brother? They did bear a resemblance of sorts, but... "GOOD MORNING, Itachi-SENPAIIII-!" Tobi screamed in her ear, apparently not too worried about what Deidara thought about it. Deidara hit him again.

"Deidara. Tobi." He looked directly at Hinata and continued to frown. "You're in my spot," he said to Deidara, who also pulled a face. "Take mine, yeah. It's not a big deal." "Konan's in your spot." "Take Konan's spot, then." "Konan doesn't have a spot." "Well then, I guess, too bad for you." Deidara put his arm playfully around Hinata's shoulders. "'Cause I'm not going anywhere, yeah." Hinata shrunk away from him shyly, but he didn't seem to notice nor care. She assumed he was showing off to Itachi. Then, Tobi screamed "TOBI WANTS TO PUT HIS ARM AROUND YOU TOO, HINATA-SAN! CAN I? CAN I? CAN I?" She grimaced and leaned away from him and his loud voice, and, in the process, leaned into Deidara, who looked at her in surprise. Confused, Hinata jumped up, embarrassed "S-sorry, but I can see that I'm imposing on some kind of system, so...I-I'll just sit somewhere else, okay?" The odd pair looked at her confusedly. Deidara looked meaningfully at Itachi and grabbed both her hands, attempting to pull her back down to the couch. "No, Hinata-san, it's fine. Weasel-boy can find somewhere else to sit."  
Hinata found herself scarlet. He was smiling at her in a very sincere, genuine way, and his hands felt warm and comforting around her small frightened ones. His eyes were a very clear forget-me-not blue and his skin was evenly-toned, almost as if someone had painted him that way...  
...and Hinata found herself saying in a mechanical sort of way, "T-that's all right, D-Deidara-san. I'll g-go somewhere else." Deidara frowned in dissappointment and said, flatly, "Okay, then, yeah. If Itachi's gonna throw a fit..." A slight rumble from behind her told Hinata that Itachi did not enjoy that. "OH, SHUT UP YOU STUPID UCHIHA. YOU'RE GETTIN' YOUR SPOT, AIN'T CHA? YEAH. QUIT YOUR WHININ'." Itachi rolled his eyes and walked forward, brushing past Hinata. He looked at her again. "Sorry," he said, then sat down. "I...It's no problem, really." Then, seemingly with the intent of irritating Itachi, Deidara began to prod Tobi, who was on Itachi's other side. Caught in the middle of the war, Itachi rolled his eyes and looked as if he wished he had never sat down at all. Hinata smiled, then wandered over to the other end of the couch, where Konan sat staring out what looked like the only window in the entire place. It took up most of the wall. Obviously she had left Deidara's spot.

"Konan?" She looked up. "Yes?" "Is...Is there any f-food in this place?" Konan laughed. "Yeah. Come with me." She stood up and lead Hinata out of the room and down the numerous hallways. "So?" She asked, glancing sideways at Hinata, "Not too bad, are they? I was sort of relieved that Tobi took to you so quickly." She frowned, then added, as an attempt at being reassuring, "The rest will follow suit soon." "Deidara introduced himself to me." "Did he now?" "Th-those hand things are really gross. One licked me when he shook my hand." Konan grimaced and shivered slightly. "Gross. I don't know how he can live with those." "He...he said they were his kekkei genkai..So, I would guess he doesn't know what it's like to NOT have them." Konan nodded slightly, and they entered a large room with a tiled floor and all the assets a kitchen usually holds. Hinata could only assume that that's why they were there.  
"Just look around for what you want, I guess. Makes no difference to me, really." Konan looked around at the cabinets and stained counter tops of the organization's culinary room. Hinata said "Are..Aren't you g-going to eat?" Konan shrugged. "Maybe. I'm only a little hungry right now." Hinata bit her lip and nodded, roaming the cupboards for something edible. Most of them held containers, pots, pans, utensils, and various other tools. She came across one cupboard filled entirely with little tea packets and other drink mixes, but not food. Then, in the one next to it, she discovered boxes of dried pasta, instant this and that, and cupcake mixes. She laughed a little at the cupcake mix, wondering if they were ever used and how frequently. Then, with a little more searching, she found a packet of instant ramen in the back of one of the shelves. There were four others, so she figured it should be all right for her to eat.  
"Found something?" asked Konan, who had found the table and taken a seat in one of it's chairs.  
"I think so," Hinata said thoughtfully. "None of them are particularly possessive of ramen, are they?" She was thinking of Naruto and how, one time, Sakura had taken one of his ramen packets while he had slept. Konan gave her a worried look. "...What?" "I-I mean, no one will be upset if I eat this, right?" Konan raised her eyebrows. "If anything, they'd be pleased. Kakuzu loves how cheap it is." "O-okay..." Konan watched as Hinata prepared her noodles. "How are you doing?" she asked vacantly, spinning a strand of blue hair around her index finger. Hinata sighed. "All right, I guess. It doesn't hurt so much anymore." Konan nodded in silent understanding. "Were you bleeding any this morning when you woke up?" "N-not that I realized," Hinata said, a little worried.  
"Ramen?" Pain walked into the kitchen, hair sticking in all directions, nose held high into the air, sniffing. His shirt, which was a lengthy 3/4 sleeved thing, was rumpled to the point where Hinata thought he might have to iron it if he wanted to wear it ever again, and his pants, which were a dark muddy brown, hung limply around his legs. He followed the scent towards Hinata, who backed up nervously. "Oh...It's you," he said, giving her a slightly irritated look. "G-good morning, Pain-s-sama." He scoffed, rolled his eyes, then whirled on his heel to face Konan, who studied him with bored eyes and an apparent lack of interest.  
"Hello, Konan," he said, running his hand through his ruthless fiery hair in an attempt to smooth it. His stomach rumbled and he blushed as Konan snickered. "Stop that," he barked at her. "I'm hungry. I'm a man, for God's sake! I need more food than you ever will. Geez..." He turned on Hinata, giving her a firm and commanding look that said 'I am completely serious right now.' His face was very close to hers, so close that she could the rings within in his eyes. "Make yourself useful and get me some of that, too." Hinata was a little distracted by how attractive he was up close, but, after a moment, processed what he'd said and rushed wordlessly back to the cabinet, blushing fiercely. He smirked with pride. Konan said "Don't do that. It's not fair." He looked around at her. "What isn't?" Konan looked at him with one eyebrow raised. "You scared her." "Oh, and I'm not allowed to? I am the leader of an S-ranked criminal organization, love. Don't think that I can't do what I like, my dear, because you are sadly mistaken." Konan continued to look at him, her expression never changing. Pain sighed and grabbed Hinata's arm as she was in the process of pouring more water into their kettle. She looked up at him in fright. "While you're at it, make me coffee." Hinata looked at him wordlessly, frozen in fear, and Pain glanced over at Konan, who still had the same expression on. "OH FOR THE LOVE OF-! Okay, I get it." He released her and noticed that she hadn't been breathing. "Will you please make me coffee, Hinata." It still wasn't a question; it was more like a sarcastic attempt at one, but Hinata decided to take what she could get and nodded. "Th...," he began, but stopped, and appeared to be wrestling with himself to say something. Then, he stood up straight and said "Thank you." then strode straight out of the room. Hinata watched him go, wide-eyed.  
"Well, that's not something he usually says," Konan said flatly, frowning a little. "Interesting. He'll be back, don't worry," she added as Hinata looked confusedly at the extra bowl of Ramen she now had.  
"S-so...do you... I mean, are you and Pain-sama...?" Hinata was so embarrassed with her question that she could not finish it, but curiosity overtook her. Konan laughed outright. "What? No, not at all. He wishes we were, though," she said, looking to her side and staring off into space. "I've known him for a very long time. But..." she shook her head. "It's nothing. Just leave that there, he'll come get it eventually." Hinata had fumbling over his ramen, unsure of what to do with it. She then nodded and put water into the coffee maker, along with the grounds, and took her own bowl to the table. She left Pain's on the counter with a plate over top to keep it hot. She sat down in the chair across from Konan and placed her bowl in front of her.  
At that very moment, Tobi ran into the room. "Have either of you seen Deidara-senpai?" Konan raised an eyebrow and said simply, "No." He groaned and continued out through the other doorway of the kitchen. Hinata looked over at Konan. "What was that about?" "They probably got into another fight," she said, obviously entertained by this new development. "Deidara always chases him around. He does get a little annoying, so it's completely unders-"  
Deidara burst into the kitchen. He looked wildly at the two of them and demanded "Have either of you seen that moron Tobi?" Hinata quickly shook her head. Deidara let out a roar of frustration and turned back around and walked out.  
"He'll find out you lied, you know," Konan stated matter-of-factually  
"Y-yes, well. I couldn't just let him chase him around like that. H-he'll calm down eventually." Pain walked back into the kitchen, looking considerably more awake than he had before. His hair had been combed, but it was still unruly and he'd swapped his clothes out for fresh ones. He picked up his bowl, plate and all, then walked to the table and sat kitty-cornered to both Hinata and Konan. "Coffee," he stated bluntly. Hinata squeaked a little and pointed to the bubbling machine on the counter-top Pain sighed a little then pulled the plate from his bowl, emitting steam as he did so. He closed his eyes and inhaled it deeply, sighed, then looked over at Hinata, who was not eating. "What?" he asked irritably. "A-ano...I was wondering where you kept your-" He stood up before she'd finished and walked over to a drawer beneath the counter. He then proceeded to pull out two pairs of chopsticks and returned to the table. "Here," he said in his usual monotone. Hinata bent her head in thanks and took them in her right hand. They ate in silence while Konan stared off into space once more.  
"So," Pain said awkwardly, obviously uncomfortable with the quiet, "anything interesting happen today so far?" Konan twisted her mouth as she thought. "Well," she began, her right hand cupped under her chin, "Hidan tried to kill Hinata." "Good, good..." said Pain absentmindedly, clearly not listening. "No Pain, that's not good." "What?" "I said Hidan tried to kill Hinata." He glowered at her. "So? I told you, I-" "Ugh, why do I bother." Konan turned away from him once more. Pain opened his mouth to snap back at her but thought better of it and continued eating it. "I don't see why you're even here," he said bluntly to Hinata, who was halfway to putting a noodle into her gaping mouth. She turned red. "I can only think of one good thing you've brought about so far," he said, looking towards the ceiling thoughtfully. "Well, actually I guess two. You made me ramen, too."  
"What was the first?" snapped Konan, who clearly already knew the answer. "Well," Pain began smugly, smirking in a way that told Hinata he thought he was being clever, "it's not often I have a lovely lady sleeping in my bed." Hinata felt her face grow hot. "I thought you said you didn't do sexual innuendos," Konan stated, unlaughing. He sighed. "It wasn't an innuendo. At least, I didn't mean for it to be."  
They continued bickering, and Hinata finished her food. 'They sound just like an old married couple,' she thought, giggling a little. She placed her now-empty bowl in the sink and, although Hinata was not entirely sure she'd been heard, told Konan she was going to go to her room.  
After all, she could only fake for so long.

END OF CHAPTER THREE  
Canvas

* * *

**A/N: This chapter kind of makes me want to write a Deihina story. Hm...**  
**To be honest, I'm kind of at a loss as to what the actual plot should be.**  
**I have one more relatively short chapter already written out.**  
**And then I have nothing left.**  
**except for those random plots that end quickly and have little to no meaning.**  
**But yeah.**  
**Please tell me any suggestions you might happen to have. I'm kind of desperate. _**  
**I shouldn't have started this without a plot, I know.**


	4. Funeral of Hearts

**A/N: HOLY SNAP, that chapter was loooooooong. I apologize. I couldn't figure out how to end it, though. So I just kind of kept writing. xD I apologize if you aren't a PainKonan fan. D: There's turning out to be a lot more of that than I thought at first. Hmm.**

** c:**

* * *

_'She was the sun_

_Shining upon_

_The tomb of your hopes and dreams_

_So frail_

_He was the moon,_

_Painting you_

_With its glow_

_So vulnerable and pale'_

_Funeral of Hearts HIM_

Hinata lay face-down on Konan's bed, the tears flowing freely from her eyes. She knew it must still be daytime, but she felt completely exhausted. After eating breakfast with Pain (while Konan watched), she had run back to where she was almost-pretty-but-not-entirely sure that Konan's room was. She had been tired of smiling so that she wouldn't cry, and tired of putting on a pleased facade so that they would all like her. When she'd found the right door, Hinata had thrown it open, stomped inside, and slammed it shut. She had then proceeded to throw an absolute fit, pounding on the floor with her fists and crying like a toddler. It reminded her a little of the time that her father had told her that her mother had died, which did not help her mood. That had been the worst day of her life-she had been in the garden, pressing flowers as she normally did, when Hiashi(her male parental unit) had approached her. She remembered smiling at him and showing him all of the flowers that she had done so far, telling him that she would give them to Mother to make her feel better. He had then lifted her into his arms-which was an extreme rarity-and told her, very seriously, that she could not. Upon asking why, he told her that mommy had gone away, and that she was not going to be coming back.  
That day as well, Hinata had cried, and cried, and cried. The nurses had brought her candies and cakes and stuffed toys of all sorts but she'd done nothing but return them; by way of the air, that is. At twilight, she'd finally passed out in her bed, her walls covered in various syrups and frostings.  
Hinata then broke out of her reverie, Then, finally, Hinata had climbed into the bed and snuggled in, trying to find some kind of comfort. The room was completely dark once more-she hadn't bothered to turn on the light, and, what with the lack of a window, what she was left with was something similar to absolute blackness. The light from the hallway crept underneath the door, however, so that she was not quite rendered blind. And so, Hinata had remained in bed for the rest of the day, wallowing in self-pity and fond memories of those people she would never see again. She clung to the pillow, burying her face in it and whimpering. However, she realized, Konan had been right in telling her she could not stay in the room forever; nature was most certainly calling her now, in the form of the desperate need to use the restroom. She had not, she realized, gone at all that day. Hinata didn't even know where the bathroom could have been; the Akatsuki's hideout consisted of one big maze. Hinata found her courage and left Konan's room, which was now pitch black (the hallway lights had been turned off), and headed towards the living room-where, she hoped, she could find someone to ask about the bathroom.  
Hinata rubbed her eyes sadly as she padded along the dark hall; she knew she must look awful from all that crying she'd done, so she did her best to make herself appear presentable before she turned the corner to her destination. It was dark, only it was the kind of dark that comes from shadows; moonlight filtered in from the single window, bathing everything in a mystical light. Hinata looked around nervously, but realized, not quite instantaneously, that she was not alone in the room. Someone sat at the far end of the room, near the right-hand side of the window, staring mystified out of it. Hinata took a step forward, and that someone looked towards her with calm black eyes.  
"A-ano, Itachi-sama," Hinata stuttered, finding herself frozen to that spot as she looked at him. It felt like she'd fallen into a giant bucket of ice; the chill moved from her feet and up to the tip of her head, causing her to shiver. He just looked at her. She finally found the courage to squeak, very quietly, "B-bathroom?"  
He didn't say anything, just continued to scrutinize her. Hinata had just begun to think that she was going to wet herself if she didn't get out of this situation when Itachi nudged his head to the right(Itachi's left). He then turned back to the window. Hinata breathed a sigh of relief. "Th-thank you, Itachi-sama," she said, and continued on in the direction he'd indicated. To her surprise, the bathroom was right there; contained within the living room. She threw open the door and hurried inside.

Itachi had been on what he like to call his 'downtime' when he'd seen her again. He'd been admiring the moon peacefully, with no interruptions from Deidara, Tobi, Hidan, or anyone, for that matter. This was the only time he ever had any quiet. Not once had he ever been interrupted in this ritual. At least, not until today.  
She'd appeared silently; he wouldn't have even noticed her if she hadn't moved forwards When she had, though, he found that-as he had earlier that day-he could not look away from her. She was exceedingly lovely, he thought, and he would die a happy man if all he ever did was look into her beautiful eyes. Her hair glistening in the moonlight, she stuttered a question to him which had, at first, been unable to register in his mind. Then, still in a daze, he'd pointed her in the direction of the bathroom-which was one of three-and she'd thanked him. Now, sitting in the same place he had been before, he waited for her to emerge so that he could talk to her. Or, at least, so that he could try to talk to her. He wondered what he should say to her; from what he'd seen, she was frightened half to death of everyone and everything she came across. Which, he was surprised to realize, he found rather endearing. As he was pondering why this might be, the door to the bathroom opened and there she stood-dark, mysterious and beautiful.  
She froze again. He tried to soften his expression, but found that he had a bit of difficulty with that. "A..ano," she began, quietly side-stepping towards the exit. She did not dare look away. Itachi found himself desperate to keep her there with him, and quickly devised a plan to prevent her from leaving. He outstretched his arm and beckoned her with his index finger. Once more she stopped. "I...Itachi-sama?" her voice was questioning, and frightened. Itachi found that he could hardly stand it. He beckoned her again. She came to him and stood, trembling, before him.  
"Sit," he commanded. She did so, still trembling. She gazed out the window, her translucent eyes reflecting all they gazed upon. Now that she was here, what should he say?  
Itachi looked her over carefully. She was thin; she wasn't skinny per se, because skinny implies skin-and-bone, but this girl had muscle. She was, as some would say, shaped like an hourglass. Her hips were wide and rounded, while her chest was filled out quite nicely indeed. Her blue-black hair was currently up in a high, carelessly tied ponytail, hanging down her entire back, lazily swaying with each move she made. Itachi wanted to feel her, to take her and hold onto her until... Well, really, if he were being honest, there wasn't really an 'until'.  
All these feelings were very strange and foreign to the eldest Uchiha son; he had not experienced anything of the sort since before he had murdered his family, for in their number had been his lover ((A/N: That was in the manga. Just making sure you don't know I didn't pull that out of nowhere-land)). He had been sure his heart could no longer feel, was not capable of love or attraction or anything of the sort. Itachi wondered if Konan had brought this young lady here simply to prove him wrong.  
"Itachi-sama," she whimpered, her voice shaken with fear, "did you need something?"  
He forced a small smile-it was actually rather painful, as it was something that he never did-onto his face. She shrunk away. Had it really been that bad? He quickly placed his customary mask of indifference back into place. "I simply wondered," he said vacantly, eying his faded indigo fingernails, "what you might think of the moon." She frowned at this, eyebrows furrowed into (again, this shocked Itachi when he realized he had thought it) a very endearing look of frustration. She then looked back up at the moon. He could not tell what she was thinking. Then, she said, her voice perfectly even, "I think it's beautiful. Do you come here often?"  
Itachi found that he was surprised by the girl's reply. "Yes," he stated softly, looking out once more. He tried very hard to concentrate on being completely honest. "I do it to get away. The world is slowly becoming consumed in war, and I find that this is a time, more so than ever, that I need to have peace..." here he sighed, his eyes closed for emphasis, "...and quiet."  
She looked at him serenely. He realized that he had gained a bit of her trust and said "Are you from Konoha?"  
She frowned. "Yes, I am."  
"Did you know my brother? Sasuke? I presume he's quite the rebel by now..."  
She grimaced at him, her fists clenched in her lap. "Yes," she breathed, "I knew S-Sasuke." She could say nothing more on account of the tears burning in her eyes. She withheld them, staring hard at the night sky without blinking. Itachi felt a pang of guilt hit him as he realized this girl had been attached to his younger sibling. Having a small bit of difficulty in keeping his attitude indifferent, he found himself smiling again. It was better than letting his anger get ahold of him.  
"Is he well?"  
She gave him an incredulous look. It did not suit her well, but did not do much to lessen her looks. "I...I would imagine Sasuke-kun's well-being w-would be the l-last priority on your list."  
He stared off into the sky and bit his bottom lip. Then, after careful thought, he replied "You would be surprised." She shook her head. "He does not speak highly of you." This made Itachi actually laugh, although it was bitter and sarcastic.  
"I do not expect him to. As a matter of fact, I do not expect anyone to. I did what I had to. That was all that I did." He watched as she glanced at him from the corner of her eye.  
"Had t-to?" There was a small touch of anger to her high-pitched voice; it almost made him laugh that it sounded so out of place.  
"Long story. I do not particularly wish to explain just now. Maybe," he said, looking off into space, "someday I'll find it in me to tell you. But not today." They remained silent for awhile, looking into the night. Then, without warning, Itachi said "I'm sorry. I didn't catch your name."  
"I...I'm Hinata," she whispered shyly, looking at the floor. He found himself leaning forwards and looking up to try and see her face. "I'm sorry," he said as moved away in surprise. "Are you upset?" Hinata turned scarlet. "I...I..."  
Itachi found himself senselessly blurting "You look lovely when you do that." She blinked, her face slowly turning darker shades of red than he really would have thought possible. "Blush, I mean."  
"A-a-ano, I...I-I...!" she had turn her hands into fists, her knuckles white.  
"Don't. I didn't mean to embarrass you."  
"It...It's all right," she breathed deeply, then sighed. She no longer sounded upset; she actually sounded flattered. Then, he said, "You can join me here whenever you wish, if it'd make you feel better."  
"Feel...better...?"  
He gave her an apologetic look. "We could all hear you in there earlier. You were pretty loud." He watched as her face reddened once more. He added, to make her feel better, "No one thinks any the less of you." She shook her head. Then, she got up. "I...I really n-need to b-be getting to b-bed," she said, avoiding his eyes. So much for gaining her trust.  
"Yeah," he agreed warily, "that's probably for the best. I'll see you around, Hinata-san." As she turned to leave, he remembered; "Hinata," he said, and she looked at him once more. His heart ached. "Don't let anyone get you down," he said quietly, looking out the window. "No one can be the judge of you but yourself." Hinata nodded, heart racing, and exited the living room. Itachi, who felt as if he'd gotten little to nowhere with her, tilted his head back and sighed. What was he doing, anyways? She was just a sweet innocent teenager, brought here for reasons that no one really seemed to understand. He was a criminal, wanted everywhere in the world that anyone really cared about. Not to mention he was probably about 6 years older than her. 'And,' he thought angrily, 'Deidara sort of has her wrapped around his finger already...Stupid bastard...'  
He really hated that so-called 'artist'. Probably not as much as Deidara hated Itachi, though. Which was slightly comforting, in it's way. Hate is useless unless it's returned.  
Itachi blinked; once, twice, then placed one hand on his upper thigh used it to stand up. He then exited into the long hallway, deciding that-tonight, at least- he actually needed to get some sleep. He had too much to think about to do otherwise.

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END OF CHAPTER FOUR  
Funeral of Hearts


	5. Author's Note

Author's Note: Wowwwww it's been awhile. A long while. More than a year, I think. Anyways, I got netflix and surprise surpise they have the first two season s of Naruto! So I'm a little bit hooked again. Needless to say my interest in the series is sporadic in the least but I will do my best to get this going again. I know I said that about my other story too, but! This time it is for real. Also if you were to drop an encouraging review it would probably help. *durpdurp* Thanks for reading, guys. Lots of love! 


	6. Talk

**A/N: HOLY CRAP okay let's hope that this isn't some God-awful monster chapter that's complete BS because I haven't written anything story-wise in like… a long time. This is probably sub-par. But I have some plot ideas that are mostly very dramatic sub-plots… however that is what I do best. Never-ending dramatic stories. Haha...I hope this is all right, though. But! If I go for a long time without writing again, drop me review! That usually gets me going… maybe. Anyways, thanks guys. C:**

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"_Are you lost or incomplete?_

_Do you feel like a puzzle, you can't find your missing piece?_

_Tell me how do you feel?_

_Well I feel like they're talking in a language I don't speak_

_and they're talking it to me…"_

_-Talk, COLDPLAY_

The next morning Hinata awoke feeling as if she'd only slept for ten minutes. The only thing that told her otherwise was the large bar of light creeping out from beneath the door, informing her that it was day time and her seemingly endless nightmare was not yet over. She sat up, groaned, then lifted her palm to her forehead, which felt chilled to the touch. This was a little surprising to Hinata because she felt sure that someone was inside of her head launching cannonballs at the inside of her skull. In other words she had a vicious headache and did not want to get up. Especially when she knew that not 20 yards away ten S-ranked criminals were having a grand old time watching television and rough housing, perhaps judging her for the way she had spent the entire day before throwing a fit. Now that she thought about it, this was likely the reason for the marvelous headache she was now experiencing. '_Karma,'_ she thought with agony, _'is a bitch.'_

There was a knock at the door. Trying her best to ignore it, Hinata rolled over and pulled the pillow over her head. More knocking. "Go away," Hinata moaned irritably.  
"Hinata-sama," a male voice from the other side of the door cooed gently, "I brought you tea. Can I come in?" Whoever was on the other side didn't bother to wait for Hinata to invite him in, and a moment later the door opened. She found that she could not really care less who it was that was entering, as long as they left quickly. She remained motionless, burrowed underneath her pillows and blanket.

"Hinata-sama? Are you feeling all right?" The light switch flicked on and the door clicked shut quietly. "Would you like your tea? It's black, but I put sugar in it too. You seem like the kind of girl that likes sweets. Yeah."  
"Deidara…" Hinata caught his speech habit well enough the day before to know who was speaking to her today. "Yes, Hinata-sama?" She poked her head up and looked at him warily. He looked as if he had just gotten up; his blonde hair hung loosely about his shoulders and was kinked in every which way it seemed to be able to manage. "Yes, thank you," she finally managed, and took the hot mug from his outstretched hands. He sat on the edge of the bed as she sipped the dark liquid, staring her down.

"D-Deidara…," Hinata began uncomfortably, trying to avoid his gaze, "did you need something?" He smiled warmly at her, so warmly that she was really beginning to be confused about how friendly he was being. Wasn't he supposed to be a cold-blooded murderer, the kidnapper of Suna's Kazekage, Gaara? "Not really," he stated matter-of-factly, looking down at the bed sheets. Hinata was suddenly very aware of the fact that her nightgown wasn't exactly appropriate for this situation. She quickly pulled up the covers, causing him to lose his balance and fall to the floor with a crash. "D-D-Deidara-sama! I-I'm so v-very sorry! Please f-f-forgive me!" Her headache became worse than ever as she swiftly bent forward in a gesture of apology to the man she was certain could kill her in a moment's notice. She was surprised to hear laughter from him. "That was adorable, Hinata-sama~! And quite all right, for that matter. Yeah."

Hinata felt a deep crimson sweep across her face as Deidara returned to his feet. "Anyways, I just came to see if you needed anything. You sounded pretty upset yesterday. Kakuzu wanted to start charging you for every minute you spent crying. Konan made Pain shut him up." "N-no, I think I'm all right now. Thank you for the thought, Deidara." He grinned in that overly friendly way again and laughed, "No problem, yeah!" For a moment, all he did was look at her. Hinata felt as if there was really nothing she could do but look back at him. Then, he turned and left the room without another word. '_What was THAT about?' _She wondered confusedly, sinking back down into the pillows and sipping her tea warily. It seemed like everyone in Akatsuki was a little off their rocker.

The tea was surprisingly helpful in lessening her headache, so Hinata eventually decided to crawl out of bed and change into normal clothes. As she scavenged through Konan's dresser, she wondered how the Akatsuki had electricity and running water, and how no one noticed their intake of such necessities. And how they did laundry. Surprisingly, Konan had no clean clothes for Hinata to wear today – they were all missing, presumably so that they could be washed. '_So_', Hinata decided, _'my options are to wander into the maze to find clothes or stay inside all day and wait for someone to find me.' _At that moment, her stomach rumbled loudly. '_Waiting to be found is no longer an option,'_ she thought sadly, looking down at the fairly skimpy nightgown she was wearing. Maybe everyone would be in the TV/Living room and wouldn't see her. Maybe she would get lucky and it would be a straight shot to the laundry room from Konan's room. Or, better yet, maybe she would run into Konan on the way there. _'All very…likely…possibilities,'_ she tried to convince herself as her hand shook on the door knob, willing herself to open it. She could hear many voices coming from the Living room, so Hinata found that she had the courage to hope that plan A might be her best hope. She carefully opened the door and peered around. There was no one about.

Sighing in relief, Hinata opened the door further and stepped cautiously stepped forward, closing the door behind her with a soft click as she did so. Her heart pounded in her chest as she remembered her experience with the silver-haired man from the day before. Hinata gathered her wits to walk faster. She did not want to be caught by him again.

It seemed like ages that she wandered throughout the hideout, but it was probably only ten minutes before she came to a door that smelled of laundry detergent. With relief, she knocked hesitantly; there was no answer, so she opened the door and walked in. Not a moment later, something grabbed hold of her wrists and she felt herself being lifted from the ground and slammed against a wall. The door shut behind her, Hinata felt herself beginning to panic as she stared into a pair of violently purple eyes. Or were they pink? _'Why does it matter?' _she found herself wondering angrily as she struggled against her captor.  
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY ROOM?" The man screamed at her. Hinata realized that it was the same man from yesterday – the man with the silver hair. Not only that, but he was covered in blood. "A-a-an-no," she began, feeling herself begin to hyperventilate a bit, "Konan-s-san t-took my c-clothes. I was l-looking for th-the laundry r-room. Please f-forgive me!"  
He scrutinized her face for tell-tale signs of a liar. She stared into his oddly-colored eyes and found she could not blink, so was her terror. Her lip began to tremble. "Stop that," he commanded. "Pl-please," she began, but he commanded "Shut up! Pain never told us to leave you alone. Only Konan did. And everyone knows she's useless." He ran his tongue across his lips. "You'd be a lovely sacrifice to my Lord, wouldn't you?"  
"S-stop," Hinata whimpered, continuing to struggle as he tightened his grip on her, "I j-just wanted-!" He pushed himself against her, and she squeaked in terror but became silent. "Nice nightie," he commented in a sneering manner, nuzzling her neck with his blood-covered face. She could feel herself trembling, could hear herself trying to keep her breathing even. "It's not often I see a woman around that I wouldn't get killed for touching…," he added as an afterthought.

Hinata was now completely aware of the fact that she too was drenched in blood. Blood that was still hot. She forced herself to look down. A three-pronged scythe just so happened to be speared into the crazy-guy's shoulder blade. It ran all the way through him so that the blade pierced through his chest cavity and was visible on the other side. She stifled a gasp. "Something wrong?" he asked casually, running a hand across her cheek and licking the blood off. Unable to hold it in any longer, Hinata screamed. With a look of disgust he dropped her to the floor. "Laundry room's down the hall," he snapped. She didn't move. She couldn't. "GET OUT!" he yelled fervently, bending down so that his face was directly in front of hers yet again, "AND DON'T COME BACK!"  
Hinata scrambled to her feet and ran out the door, leaving red footprints in her hurry.

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**Sorry… Kind of a short chapter. Kind of a weird chapter, too. Mostly this is to establish distinct ties to other Akatsuki members so that Hinata isn't always just interacting with all of them at once.  
More is on the way. Hooray!**

**PS: NO I do not think that Hidan and Hinata are a pair. I think that if they were it would have to be one-sided (which it is here) because Hidan is a crazy psycho religious murderer and Hinata's just like "HEY LOOK pretty flower." And the only reason I think he would like her is because I picture him as kind of a playboy. In which case she is just his type. If that scene was a little over bearing, I apologize! _ I will try to make up for it with extra fluffy-fluff. Or something.  
Yes it was 100% one-sided here too. In case you couldn't tell.  
Anyways, Hidan's threatening manner is mostly comprised of him feeling like his dominance is in question because of how Konan made him look like a fool the day before. He wants to ensure that she knows exactly what he's capable of, I guess is the best way of putting it.  
I'm just trying to keep him in character! Ack! I'm not sure if I succeeded.**

**REVIEWWWWWW and I might actually update every once in a while.**


	7. The Show Must Go On

**Okay! I hope that last chapter didn't freak too many of you out too much. This one will probably be a little more normal. ^^;  
I had such a hard time finding lyrics to post for this chapter! I listen to the Okami soundtrack when I'm writing and it's times like these that I wish there were a way to quote the beauty of instrumental music… especially one with such incredible genius composition like the songs from Okami. Ah, well. I found some eventually.**

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"_The Show must go on_

_Inside my heart is breaking_

_My make-up may be flaking_

_But my smile, still, stays on"_

_-Show Must Go On, QUEEN  
_

Hinata could feel her heart pounding in her chest as she ran in what would appear to be a drunken stupor to anyone who was watching. In reality, she was too frightened and shocked to be able to walk in a straight line after her second encounter with the silver-haired man. _'How could this have happened to me?'_ she wondered blankly, stumbling along in search of the REAL laundry room. '_I was certain everyone was in the main room…'_ She laughed inwardly at herself. _'You never were a good ninja…_' Finally she managed to blunder into the door from which a great familiar rumbling sound came, one which Hinata could with satisfaction claim to be the sound of a washing machine out of balance. She quickly opened the door, leaving a bloody handprint on the knob, and peered inside. Inside was a red-haired man who wore the traditional Akatsuki garb rummaging in one of the many cabinets lining the walls. He looked up at her when the door opened.

"Oh, it's just you," he breathed, sounding almost relieved. "I was a little afraid you'd be Deidara or Tobi come to torture me for enjoyment." He went back to his search, only to do a double take as Hinata entered the tiny area, closing the door behind her. "What happened to you?" he asked casually, scrutinizing her as she did her best to cover herself from his studious eyes. "U-um… I walked into the wr-wrong room." He seemed a little apprehensive about this, but went back to the cupboards. "It was probably Hidan's room, seeing as you have no injuries of your own. He's kind of a freak; he takes part in this weird cult that worships Jashin and promises ultimate destruction. They're just a bunch of weirdoes. …Did you need something?" She jumped a bit, slamming the lid of the washer as he addressed her. "K-Konan took my clothes." "And you assumed they'd be in here?" "Um… yes?" He shook his head. "Konan hand washes her clothes. Something about the size changing or the color fading… I don't know. It'll be awhile before you have fresh ones."

Hinata felt her heart sink a little bit as she nodded dazedly. Her gaze drifted towards the floor as she wondered what to do, her hair sinking around her face as a curtain. He bent down, endeavoring to see her expression. "If you want to get out of those, I probably have something you can wear, you know. Don't look so upset. Come with me." He walked out, beckoning her with his index finger, and Hinata could have sworn his body creaked whilst he did so. She jogged after him.

"Sorry," he said, leading the way, "but as hard as I try I can't place your name. Do you mind telling it to me once more?" He turned around and smiled at her, but it looked forced, almost painful. It lightened nothing but his mouth. "Hinata Hyuuga." "Ah! A Hyuuga. How charming. That explains your lovely eyes. I bet you'd make a fabulous puppet, a wondrous work of art. That'd shut Deidara up at last," he looked at her once more and noticed the terror in her eyes. "…But I guess Konan would probably be pretty unhappy with me if I did that, so there's no need to worry. There's someone else that I'm focusing on capturing at the moment, anyways. Currently," he said, turning a doorknob and walking inside, "I'm working on a look-alike. You might know her, actually. Feel free to wonder around while I find you something to wear. You might come across her." He walked quickly away.

Actually Hinata felt a little estranged towards this man now that he'd told her he was hunting down a woman who might possibly be her friend. But, at the same time, he _was_ giving her a hand when it seemed everyone else was against or ignoring her so she supposed she could forgive him. She took a moment to look around the rather large room, then felt a bit of a chill run down her spine. It was a dusty place, with light filtering in through what few windows there were. What daylight did come in, though, was hardly enough to compensate for the size of the room; but wasn't necessarily what made it creepy – that was all the puppets. Many of them hung from the ceiling, staring down at her with empty eyes, some were on workbenches without arms or various other limbs (such as heads). Some of them intrigued her – they almost looked familiar. There was one that looked like the picture of the third Kazekage she'd seen in a book before, but his head was on the bench next to him. As Hinata continued to search she noticed that out of all the dully colored puppets there was one who stood out. It was more of a mannequin than a puppet. Hinata found that she could barely move at the sight of it.

"I see you've met my doll," a voice behind her said. It sounded almost loving. "She's not quite right yet… It's just the shell. Would you like to watch me work?" It was the red-haired man, with a pair of (female?) clothes. He handed them to her. "Thank you," she said smiling at him, "I think I would like that. By the way, wh-what's your name?" He turned away and sat on the bench next to the doll. "Sasori. The workroom is straight down that way," he pointed behind her," you can clean up in there. There's no shower, but there's a faucet and some washcloths. I'll be right here." "H-hai," she said, and gratefully walked away to the closet-like room he'd indicated. Once she reached it, she shut the door and looked out the proportionally miniscule window, hoping to see some form of civilization. To her horror, all she could see was a wall of trees. Hinata sighed and began to undress herself. She took a clean washcloth from a nearby rack and soaked it in water from the faucet then proceeded to cleanse herself of any and all blood she may have accumulated in her encounter with Hidan. She glanced at the clothes Sasori had given her; sure enough, they seemed to be for a female. But they were dusty and the color was faded. _'Maybe he took them off of one of his puppets… or someone he turned into a puppet…'_ She shuddered, but dusted them off and pulled them on anyways. They were better than the bloody rag that had been her nightgown. She rinsed the washcloth she'd used and put it on the rack with all the other dirty-looking materials to dry. Then, she turned and exited the closet.

"Sasori-sama?" She headed down the aisles of work benches in search of (what she hoped was) her new friend. He was as he'd said, in the same spot, still working on the same puppet. He seemed to be putting a needle into the fingers. "Ah… You're back," he stated simply, not looking up. "You may sit down, if you like." She did. They sat in silence for a while, him tinkering on his dolls, and she watching. After a long while, he asked, "Do you find this interesting?" Hinata thought for a moment. "I guess I d-do. I mean, there's not really much else to do here, is there? It's like watching you bring something to life." He smiled a bit at that. "That is a nice way of thinking about it. I would very much like to bring this particular puppet to life. But, I don't really think there's any way that I can do that, unfortunately." He sounded sad, upset. Hinata found it within herself to ask "Wh-why do you think that, Sasori-sama?"

He gave a sad little smile. "The woman that I intend this marionette to become a host for very nearly killed me. The only way I survived was by deceiving her, and even then I barely survived." When he spoke, he almost sounded proud. "Clever girl. The smartest I ever came across. Unfortunately, she thinks I'm dead. And I tried to kill her, so even if I wasn't dead, she'd just kill me again. In a manner of speaking. Why am I telling you this?" Hinata looked at him with wide eyes, wondering if she'd gotten into trouble. He looked at her cautiously, and then decided "It doesn't matter. You're not going anywhere. And no one else listens to me, so I guess it's nice to have someone to talk to. They all don't think that I don't have feelings or something." "Everyone has feelings." "Not puppets." "What…?" He shook his head. "Never mind about that. Let's see just how well I've done."

He lifted a pair of leaf-green glass eyes from a box on the bench and opened up the shell's head. "She'll be a masterpiece if I ever really get her," he said merrily, "but for now, this will have to do. Hand me that, will you?" Hinata looked where he was pointing and noticed a bag. She lifted it and handed it to him. "Thank you." He lifted a pair of (she hoped) false eyelashes out of it and glued them to the eyelids of the puppet "for realism," he stated nonchalantly. "Almost finished," he announced jauntily, "I just have to give her hair and a face… but that's not a problem." He fished a wig out of the bag and attached it to the doll's head. Hinata had to stifle a scream.

"Does it bear enough recognition? I think it's almost perfect. As I said, I have to do her face, still, since it's _her_, but I think it's quite accurate. Her face might be a bit too pudgy. What do you think, Hinata?"  
She was surprised she hadn't recognized it sooner. The shape of the face, the eyes, the nose… even before the addition of the eyes and hair, she should have realized. _'Sasori must have an incredible memory,' _Hinata thought, trembling slightly. '_There is not a thing off about the appearance of this.' _  
"It's perfect," Hinata whimpered slightly. "It looks just like Sakura-san."  
"Did I frighten you? I'm sorry. Before I go furthering you dislike of me, I want you to know that I let her kill me because I didn't want to have to kill her. Even though my emotions are very faint, I…" he drifted off. "I wouldn't hurt her. I just like making puppets. I do this Akatsuki thing for fun, because I'm an outlaw and I have nothing better to do, you know. I think a lot of us are that way. None of us but Pain really care about the group's ideals." Hinata tilted her head in confusion. "What are the ideals?" "Something about world domination. I don't really know. Nor do I particularly care. I just know that they gave me a pretty nice workshop." He attached chakra strings to his Sakura-doll and started making her do ballet. "Perhaps she could use some clothes," he said thoughtfully. "She can have my nightgown," Hinata offered. Sasori laughed. "That would be appropriate, I think. She's very rough." His face dropped a little.

Hinata mentally compared Sasori to Sasuke and laughed; he looked over at her skeptically. Just then, her stomach rumbled. "Oh!" She moaned a little. "I forgot you needed to eat," he stated obviously. "I'll take you to the kitchen. Follow me."

They left the room and followed the long tunnels through the maze of the hideout. They were both silent. When they walked past a window, Hinata noticed that it had gotten later than she'd realized; so late, in fact, that the sun was starting to set. _'No wonder I'd gotten so hungry… I haven't eaten all day!' _"Your work is more interesting than you give it credit for, Sasori-sama," Hinata announced happily, "I spent all day watching you without noticing!" He smirked. "You actually didn't come in very early. Only around mid-noon. But I can see what you mean." He stopped for a moment. "Umm… Maybe you shouldn't tell Deidara about this, Hinata-san. He wouldn't be too happy." "What? Wh-why?" "Well… on the other hand, maybe you should. Perhaps it would be good for him. Go ahead." He kept walking, then stopped in front of a door. "Here we are. Feel free to visit again, if you like." Hinata nodded, then smiled at him. "Thank you for helping me, Sasori-sama." He shook his head. "No problem. Those clothes were waiting for someone to fill them, anyways. Konan's chest is a bit too small, if I may be so bold." Hinata felt herself blush, then opened the door and began to walk inside. "Oh, by the way! She called after him as he walked away. "You're just her type, I think."  
As she turned away from him, she swore she saw him smile.

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**Surprisingly I have nothing much to say about this chapter. Review if you want a say in who Hinata meets next. Heehee. c:**


	8. The Albatross

**Hooray for regular updates! :B Un-hooray for irregular reviews. :c Sad! I like reviews. I hoped that by switching the Main Characters and the Summary I might get more readers since I think most of the original readers have gotten off of FF. Sniff sniff. Oh well. I have to wait awhile for that to work, I guess. But if I continue to get one review per chapter I probably won't continue this. `**

**Hope you liked the other chapter, hope you like this one. C:  
PS: If you don't get the obvious reference made in this… Look it up. You won't regret it.  
PSS: Speaking guide! Bold print is dark Zetsu. **Normal print **is light Zetsu. Enjoy.  
PSSS: I don't know if the lyrics quite match but I'm running out of songs. Gahhh.**

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_"The albatross is flying_

_Making him daydream_

_Of the time before he became_

_One of the world`s unseen"_

-The Islander, NIGHTWISH

After what was now referred to in her mind as "The Hidan Incident," Hinata was a lot more careful about journeying throughout the Akatsuki's stronghold without being caught or venturing into the wrong door. In this particular instance, however, she figured she was safe since Sasori had led her straight to the entrance she wanted. As she entered the kitchen, she noticed two things about it that were different than before; one, there was a foul stench in the air like vinegar, eggs and bad meat and two, there was an enormous plant in the corner farthest from her. She wrinkled her face at the stench. _'Well,'_ she thought with slight relief, _'at least no one is in here.'_ At that moment the plant in the corner shifted slightly, and the only thing that came into her mind was _'FEED ME SEYMOUR!' _She shied away as it continued to shift around enough to reveal that it was some form of Venus Fly Trap, furthering her _Little Shop of Horrors_ fancy. She rushed to the door she'd entered through and looked out to see that Sasori had disappeared back into the maze. "Sasori?" She yelled, feeling slightly hopeless. It had gotten dark outside.

"He's probably working right now. **So why don't you shut the hell up?"** Hinata whirled to see that the plant had rearranged itself again so that it was right behind her. Somehow she'd failed to notice that its pot was an Akatsuki uniform and within the Fly Trap was a head. Something was weird about its voice, though. "Wh-wh-who are y-y-you?" She stuttered, moving her arms into a defensive pose; right arm over her chest, left hand touching her lips.  
"Zetsu. But the real question is **where the fuck is our coffee?"** She looked at the plant-man questioningly. It seemed to have two personalities; perhaps due to the split color body it had. The white half seemed to be polite and a single entity, while the dark half was vulgar, rude and said "we" instead of "I". "I-isn't it a bit late for coffee?" Hinata asked innocently. "Yes. **No." **Plant-man went cross eyed trying to stare himself down. "**We want coffee. **I'm not going to be able to sleep again. **Coffee is delicious. **I would like to sleep every once in a while. **Coffee makes our insides feel warm, like blood. **That doesn't change the fact that I need to SLEEP.**"** She watched, a little horrified, as Zetsu grappled with himself over a mug. "**GIMME COFFEE!" **Hinata crept around them to the pantry cupboard, looking for something to eat and trying to ignore the ruckus. There were few additions since the day before. A few instant pudding mixes, dried pastas, and wheat cereals were all that she could really find besides more ramen. She picked the Pasta. "Are you making **us food?" **Zetsu looked up at her from his tangled position on the ground, looking completely foolish and child-like. "D-did you want some? I can make you some, if you'd like…" He went cross-eyed again, each side of his face looking at the other. "**Imagine that! Food making food!" **The white half hit the dark half. "Shut up, you'll scare her." Hinata almost dropped the box she was holding. "W-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-!" "See, look what you've **done, yeah, we know, we know. It's not like everyone in the Akatsuki doesn't already know that we eat people anyways. **That doesn't give you the right to _scare _our guest, you know. **She's not **_**our **_**fucking guest, she's Konan's! **That still doesn't give you the right-!" They started brawling again. Hinata decided they were NOT about to eat her anytime soon, and so she lifted the noodles up from the floor and started searching for a pot to do her **handiwork** in. Not too long afterwards, the commotion stopped again and a sweet-sounding voice from the floor said, "**Dear sweet lady," **she looked around in shock to find that it was still plant man speaking to her, "**would you please make us some coffee before we lose our mind, please?" **She tilted her head at him. "I think maybe you should have decaf."

He started rolling on the floor in agony. "**WE NEEDS OUR **_**CAFFEINE**_**, WE NEEDS IT **SHUT UP WE DO NOT '_NEEDS'_ CAFFEINE! WE '_NEEDS' _SLEEP! SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP!" It was at this point that Hinata wondered if they could hear each other's thoughts, both fighting for dominance, or if White-Zetsu was just screaming shut up for the fun of it. She watched the uproar as she waited for the water to boil, slightly entertained. Finally, the white half gave in. "FINE!" He screamed, his eye wild, roaming about the room as he got to his feet. He shoved his face right in front of Hinata's and screamed "GIVE HIM HIS DAMN **COFFEE!" **then stormed off to the table and sat down roughly like a child throwing a tantrum. She noticed the last word sounded almost triumphant, joyous even. She wondered if it was he who said it.

She was just beginning to put the coffee grounds into the pot when the door opened and in walked a shirtless blue-skinned man who appeared to have gills on his face. "I smell coffee," he announced, looking around. He spotted Hinata at the coffee machine and cried out in victory. "I was right! Can I have some of that?" "**NO Kisame! It's all ours! **What do you mean? He can have some! **BUT-!" **"Ahh," said Kisame, giving Zetsu a smug look, "but you're not asking the lady very nicely, are you? This is how you do it." He leaned on the counter next to Hinata and gave her his most inviting smile. "Hey, sweetie. Don't let that nasty plant boss you around, you can just ignore that schizoid next time he asks you for anything okay?" "**KISAMEEEEE!" **Hinata grinned. "Th-thank you, Kisame-sama." He winked at her and then went to sit by Zetsu. She heard him exclaim behind her, "That coffee's all mine, BITCH! What now?" "**KISAME, YOU'RE FERTILIZER!"** Hinata discreetly put more grinds and water into the maker, hoping there would be enough for both of them to not fight over.

Half an hour later, both the men were happily sipping coffee and eating dinner at the kitchen table, mindlessly chatting away to Hinata about their day. "…and Deidara kept telling us to go away or he'd blow us up **but we told him we'd eat him if he even stuck his hand in his clay. **That shut him up. **I wonder if Tobi's mask really tastes like a lollipop. **It looks like a lollipop. **Yes, but does it taste like one? **Kisame, what do you think?" "About Lollipops?" "**Y**e**s**?**" **"I dunno. I'm not really sure that I'm a candy kind of guy." "**We're not a candy guy. We're a people guy." **"That's gross, Zetsu," Kisame said, eating a big forkful of noodles. "Hinata, will you make dinner all the time? We'll keep it a secret from the other guys. It'll be great, like having our own private chef… Kakuzu would get so mad, haha…" "Why would Kakuzu get mad?" Hinata asked sucking a noodle up that she'd almost lost from her fork. "Well, he doesn't like to spend money, even though his room is probably stuffed to the brim with money that he's gotten from bounty hunting, and he's in charge of all of our money so he buys food and stuff. Therefore if we had a chef we'd want him to buy better food so we weren't eating the same stuff all the time and he'd get mad. I think." Hinata found she could laugh at this. "You think." "Yes, I think. Every once in a while." Zetsu scrutinized them. "**This is weird. **Yes it is. **For some reason I don't think-"** The door opened again and Deidara walked in. "Hey, Zetsu, have you eaten-" At that moment, he spotted Hinata. "THERE you are! I've been looking for you all day! I thought—well, I mean, I thought—well, I thought Zetsu might have eaten you or something. Or Hidan sacrificed you. But he said he hasn't seen you today." Hinata stood up abruptly. "Whoa!" Deidara said, startled. "What's wrong?" "He said that?" "Um… yes? Is that wrong?" "What-? Is that…? That's just! UGH!" She sat down as abruptly as she had gotten up. Everyone was silent. Deidara just looked at her and then said "Did he do something to you?"  
Utter silence. "I don't want to talk about Hidan anymore."  
"Where'd you get those clothes? They aren't Konan's."  
"Ask around."  
Deidara, looking irritated, stormed out. "He's probably going to go take his anger out on poor Tobi," said Kisame, looking worried. Hinata stayed quiet. They ate the rest of their dinner in silence, everyone feeling slightly awkward. Eventually Zetsu got up to get more coffee, then left. Kisame did the same soon after and Hinata was alone. She put her head down on the table and thought about her day.  
'_Deidara is okay but he's clingy, nosey, and he looks like a girl. Hidan is two thumbs down, but… he's very attractive. But he's a jerk! I could never be civil to a guy like him. Unless he apologizes. Profusely. And never does it again. And even then there's a thin line.  
Sasori is great. Right now he's probably the best friend I've got here. He doesn't talk idly and he doesn't mess around with words. I guess he's kind of like me, in a way.' _She shuddered. _'Poor Sakura, though.  
I like Zetsu, but I don't like creepy Zetsu. I wish he weren't so demanding. I also like Kisame, but he's kind of flirty and weird. But he's friendly enough, I suppose. …Who haven't I met? I guess…I'll meet them…tomorrow…'_Hinata felt herself drifting off to sleep, not bothering to worry that she was still in the middle of the S-ranked criminal's secret maze-like hideout in the middle of the night, with no lights to find her way back to her room.

When she awoke, the room was black. She felt herself panicking, but at least she knew where she was this time. '_I'm in the Akatsuki's stupid fort. I've been here almost three days. Don't you know your way around from the kitchen yet?'_ She wandered aimlessly, arms outstretched, until she found the wall and felt along until she found the door. Hinata turned the knob and opened it, hoping it was one that led to a bathroom; she hadn't been all day and that coffee earlier had really done her one good. Luckily there was a window in this hallway so she could see where she was going and it did look slightly familiar. _'Let's see…straight…left…straight…right…Oh!'_ Hinata, stopped, surprised that she had found her room. _'That was easy. Maybe I should write that down or leave a trail of bread crumbs. Or noodles. Bathroom is… this way?'_ She took another right and continued on, surprised to find that she was correct. The living room was, again, filled with moonlight and she rushed over to the bathroom, too occupied with her bodily functions to notice who was at the window once more.  
When she exited the bathroom, she found two familiar red orbs staring at her from the windowsill. "Hello, Hinata-sama," he sighed warily.

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**Short chapter again, I know. I'm just trying to update quickly so that I don't fall behind on myself. Ugh. Also, yay abrupt endings!**


	9. Author Update No 2

Hello everyone!

Oh my I am getting an awful lot of notices on this story since I stopped writing. oops!

Sorry guys i really dont know when i will be able to update this. I honestly have no idea where its even going! A lot of people have been trying to give me ideas, but none of them strike me as particularly inspirational (sorry!).  
If you think you have a good idea, feel free to give it to me and if i like it i may keep writing.  
Unfortunately otherwise I probably will not. :c  
I stopped reading Naruto (i will hopefully catch up soon!) since the last time i updated. So i have no idea whats going on, how characters have developed since then, etc. Therefore it is also hard for me to write the characters' speech and mannerisms accurately.

So here is the deal!

You send me ideas. If i like one i will use it, and give you credit. Probably. However i will only take very GENERAL ideas. Unfortunately for you all i dont like writing happy endings, and i dont like giving the characters children, or having them be in some big commitment. (Such as marriage unfortunately...most of the time!)

I also really like this story, and i would like to continue it. I just have no good ideas for it.

Hopefully i can get a good response from this and will be able to update. Otherwise I will mark this as completed and not update anymore. :c  
Let me know.


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